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Folks can go to a 2 or 3 or 4 year tech school course... and STILL they hire on as beginners, at beginner wages.

There is NO substitution for lots of on the job experience in this field... and IMO no amount of schooling will teach one what a few years on the job will.

It is no surprise most states require 4 years of verifiable full time employment to qualify to test for a license in heating and AC. The reason: It takes that long to learn it...

Originally Posted by Tech Rob

If you have a strong mechanical aptitude, it will take at least 4-5 years to be "competent". 10 years to be "good", and 15 years to a lifetime to be "one of the best". Even then, only a select few actually qualify. There are also people with 30+ years in the trade who are barely "competent".

Originally Posted by keeplearnin

Whatever!!!! This stuff ain''t rocket science, get off the cross we need the wood.

In my sometimes not so humble opinion (IMNHO); we may have an example of the difference between someone that knows the basics well enough to get by... and someone that TRULY knows the details. (Nothing personal is intended by this post, simply making an example of attitudes towards the work).

Now which one would each of us want doing their service work, repairs, or installation... and why?

In Texas, you are right, A/C is a must. When I was in Waco though, we had "swamp cooler" air conditioning and it worked pretty good as long as you sprinkled the sheets too! Brazos River lots of fun, and the size of the place (Waco) is good too, plus between Dallas and San Antonio. Don't be looking for big money right off the bat though, everyone pays their dues...

My honest advice is to stay away from the large companies. You will be a number and they will beat the living crap out of you. You might make more money, but you will likely be a warm body. Find a small to medium sized company where there is an actual owner that you will interact with at some level. You will have an opportunity to learn more. One of the big things is to learn from your mistakes, don't be a complete dumbass, own up to your mistaes, don't blame somebody else, show up to work everyday and not be a raging alcoholic or drug addict.

My honest advice is to stay away from the large companies. You will be a number and they will beat the living crap out of you. You might make more money, but you will likely be a warm body. Find a small to medium sized company where there is an actual owner that you will interact with at some level. You will have an opportunity to learn more. One of the big things is to learn from your mistakes, don't be a complete dumbass, own up to your mistaes, don't blame somebody else, show up to work everyday and not be a raging alcoholic or drug addict.

Good points.

As a sidebar, it would be interesting to see just how much somebody DOES know after one of those two-week courses.

Typically in this region, you'll get hired as an install helper....after six months they'll throw you in a truck as a "lead installer".....after a few years of that, they'll throw you in a different truck and call you a "tech"....at which point, (without additional training) you'll be running calls, and calling someone for help on 2 out or 3 of them.

Find a small company that will teach you the science of the trade. Yes, you have to generate profit for the company....but a good company will teach you what you need to know in order to make more money...for yourself AND the company.

Hey everybody,
just had my first successful HVAC gig. Unpaid of course. I successfully hooked up the local crackheads evaporative cooler and boy was he impressed. Still havent made it back to good ol Texas yet.